Bluestem Prairie

The Emo Senator: Mike Parry may flounce into MN-01 congressional race against Walz

When fans of the Emo Senator, Southern Minnesota's favorite online telenovela, last left our hero, the capricious lawmaker from Waseca was hoping to punish Governor Dayton and his evil gardener by preventing daycare providers from secretly voting for a union.

Not that the Emo Senator wants a majority signup election--but no union election at all.

But as predictably as the rain and snow that falls on the verdant forests, fields and prairies of Minnesota's First Congressional district, Mike Parry is contemplating letting someone vote. For him, in the 2012 race against Tim Walz.

Friday's Morning Take reported:

CD1:  State Sen. Mike Parry has been meeting with activists and operatives and seriously considering running in 2012 against Rep. Tim Walz.  Speculation that he would announce Monday is not true.  However, according to people close to Parry he is making calls to key GOP donors in the next few days and is expected announce in the coming weeks.  Parry has told some that the field will be clear and that fmr. Rep. Randy Demmer isn’t going to run, and neither is Sen. Julie Rosen.

However, the Shadow of the Draz still lingers. Forum Communications veteran political reporter Don Davis writes in Redistricting: New districts mean many would-be candidates not ready to pull trigger:

State Sen. Parry, of Waseca, says he is thinking about running against Congressman Walz and is checking with potential donors and other supporters.

Sutton said that it probably would be pretty safe for Parry to get into the race because Mankato and Waseca are close and likely to be in the same district after Feb. 21.

However, for Rep. Drazkowski, from Mazeppa, launching a Walz challenge now is different.

“That is a little bit more of a political crapshoot,” Sutton said, because Drazkowski lives in a county that borders the 2nd Congressional District, represented by fellow Republican John Kline. “He lives on a border county that could flip back and forth between the second and the first.”

Party chairmen do much of the congressional candidate recruiting and are struggling in 2011.

Last month, Sutton told the Winona Daily News MNGOP would consider backing Draz before the convention.

So far, neither Parry nor Drazkowski show up in the online database of filings at the Federal Election Commission.

Will the Emo Senator throw off the last vestiges of false modesty as he throws his hat into the ring? Will The Draz take the plunge? Will the gardener at the governor's mansion outdo Parry's standards for home lawn care? Tune in to the next episode!

Photo: Mike Parry, the belle of Southern Minnesota. Image by Tild.

Related posts below the fold.

Remix Republicans: the future belongs to Oz

Now that Mr. Robocall has moved on to annoy voters in Minnesota's Seventh District (Bluestem's World Headquarters are located within the Seventh; fortunately, we're among the cell-phone-only hickster set), the NRCC has purchased $10,000 of time to annoy cable viewers in the First.

The Minnesota Independent's Andy Birkey reports in Republican ads target Tim Walz on health care:

Rep. Tim Walz is being targeted by the National Republican Congressional Committee with a television ad critical of his vote for health care reform. The move comes after a series of robocalls by the NRCC. Walz is in his third term in Minnesota’s First Congressional District and has only one announced challenger, Randy Demmer. Demmer lost to Walz in 2010.

“There’s a cloud over our economy,” the narrator says over the backdrop of a thunderstorm. “Tim Walz’s government takeover of health care. Fear and uncertainty prevent new hiring. Steep fines and new taxes on families and businesses. Half a trillion dollars – money they can’t use to create jobs. Experts say Obama-Schrader will push employers to drop workers’ health insurance. With Walz and Obama…the storm will only get worse.”

According to Roll Call, the ad buy will be $10,000 over three weeks starting Tuesday on cable TV.

Go watch the ad over at the Minnesota Independent. Bluestem thinks the ad is pretty standard stuff: a scary voice-over and scary gray footage. Just like with a progressive coalition's ad against Eighth Congressional District, tarted up in Bluestem remix: Chip Cravaack driving America over a cliff. . .now in New Hampshire, Bluestem has sought the essence of the NRCC's message and come up with a remix:

That "challenger" hasn't actually formally announced, but did file a "statement of candidacy" with the Federal Elections Commission. Demmer's Q2 (July Quarterly) FEC report reveals not robo-fundraising but hobo-like effort (the cycle-to-date figures appear to be from the 2009-2010 cycle rather than this year).

5. Covering Period 04/01/2011 Through 06/30/2011

	Column A This Period	Column B Election Cycle-To-Date
6. Net Contributions (other than loans)
(a) Total Contributions (other than loans)	0.00	899670.89
(b) Total Contribution Refunds	0.00	6200.00
(c) Net Contributions (6(a) - 6(b))	0.00	893470.89
7. Net Operating Expenditures
(a) Total Operating Expenditures	100.00	843681.45
(b) Total Offsets to Operating Expenditures	22.89	1699.41
(c) Net Operating Expenditures	77.11	841982.04
8. Cash on Hand at Close of Reporting Period	371.15
9. Debts and Obligations Owed TO the Committee	0.00
Itemize all on SCHEDULE C or SCHEDULE D
10. Debts and Obligations Owed BY the Committee	93000.00
Itemize all on SCHEDULE C or SCHEDULE D

Image: This fine fellow has been seen more in Minnesota than Demmer, and his residuals alone are likely more than Demmer's fundraising.

Walz vows to fight Bachmann plan to balance budget at expense of veterans' care

The  Air Force News and other outlets in Gannet Media's Military Times Network are reporting that Bachmann plan would cut veterans benefits:

Tea party favorite Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., has unveiled a plan for cutting $400 billion in federal spending that includes freezing Veterans Affairs Department health care spending and cutting veterans’ disability benefits.

Her proposed VA budget cuts would account for $4.5 billion of the savings included in the plan, posted on her official House of Representatives website.

Paul Sullivan, executive director of Veterans for Common Sense, said cutting veterans’ health care spending is an ill-advised move at a time when the number of veterans continues to grow as troops return from Iraq and Afghanistan. Sullivan said he finds it difficult to see how VA could freeze health care costs without hurting veterans.

“It is really astonishing to see this,” he said.

I'm astonished as well. Two friends in the Marines are going to be deployed to Afghanistan within the next few months; one friend's son in the Army Rangers will also be sent into harm's way this year. To freeze a health care budget at a time of rising need created by the young veterans of ongoing wars and an aging population of vets who served earlier seems foolhardy. The Air Force Times article reports:

Her list of cuts doesn’t explain the impact of freezing veterans’ health care funding, but the Congressional Budget Office said in a report issued in October that health care costs have been quickly increasing. VA’s health care budget was $44 billion in 2009, $48 billion in 2010 and is at $52 billion this year. The report forecasts a health care budget of $69 billion or higher by 2020 if trends continue, the report estimates.

I can't think of anyone in any party who campaigned on backpedaling from promises made to our service members; in fact, in the First, Randy Demmer's campaign manager complained last year when Walz held a town hall with veterans, since supposedly there was no disagreement about veterans' issues and funding.

Now Bachmann tells America that's not the case.

It's also no surprise that First District Congressman Tim Walz should answer back. Friends who served under Walz when he was their First Sergeant said you never wanted to hear him upbraid you when you did something ill-advised. I think Michele Bachmann just did.

From the congressional office:

Today, Congressman Walz released the following statement in response to Representative Bachmann’s plan to cut benefits for those who have bravely served our country in uniform.

“We have to have an aggressive, long-term plan to tackle our nation’s debt, but attempting to balance the budget on the backs of veterans who have risked life and limb in service of our country is unacceptable. I believe we can and should work together to find reasonable and common-sense cuts that will reduce our debt, but as a generation of warriors returns from two wars, our most solemn responsibility is to make sure they have the care and benefits they have earned.”

Walz is the highest ranking enlisted soldier to ever serve in Congress. He served in the National Guard for 24 years, retiring as a Command Sergeant Major. Before retiring, Walz served overseas in Italy with his battalion in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Related post:

Demmer campaign to Walz office: quit listening to vets and find out how disagreeable Randy is

Photo: Walz at a 2010 town hall for veterans.

It's a trap! Conservative Owatonna Republican exposes last spring's plot to endorse Demmer

The Republican citadel in Cloquet has not been granted an exclusive franchise to the pachyderm braintrust.  Witness the insight into the CD1 endorsing process, shared in the Waseca County News by Steele County GOP activist and prodigious LTE contributor Bob Nesbit.

In More Republican shenanigans?, Nesbit writes from sunny Owatonna:

Once again, the Republican Party has blown a great chance to unseat our liberal U.S. Congressman, Tim Walz. The party had an excellent prospect in Allen Quist, a skillful debater and a principled constitutional conservative. However, they chose instead to push for the endorsement of mild-mannered Randy Demmer, a lightweight and a compromiser, who was thought to be “more electable” in their estimation.

Please allow me to present my observations as an elected alternate to the Republican First District Endorsing Convention, held back on April 17, 2010, in Mankato.

Demmer and Quist were the top vote-getters, during the early balloting, over challengers Jim Hagedorn and Jim Engstrom. Suddenly, Hagedorn and Engstrom dropped out of the running.

Many of the seated delegates then thought for sure that Hagedorn and Engstrom supporters would swing over to Quist in the next round of balloting, in that their campaign stances were more similar to Quist than Demmer.

Well, think again. The Hagedorn and Engstrom backers swung most of their votes over to Demmer, and Quist later conceded the endorsement to him. . . .

To whom may we attribute this treachery? Nesbit has a theory:

It would almost cause a person to wonder if Hagedorn and Engstrom weren’t recruited, bought and paid for by the State Republican Party, to split the vote and again dispose of Quist.

As we now know, Democrat Tim Walz defeated Demmer in the November election. Once more, the Republicans picked the wrong candidate and shot themselves (and us) in the foot. When will they ever learn?

Pity failed taco baron and Minnesota Republican Party boss Tony Sutton. Not only has he been unable to make a stable fortune selling fake Latino food (while hating on the folks who brought it to this country), he can't buy a worthy candidate or pretender in the First.

Here's hoping the First District Republicans get their act together and endorse Quist.

Of course, with redistricting, the state GOP may want to buy Steve Sviggum's way to endorsement. Reliable informed sources say the Kenyon Republican is interested in challenging Walz, but needs to relocate Goodhue County into the district. Sounds like a plan.

Quist will have some competition. Sviggum's Wikipedia entry shares this data:

Sviggum is Norwegian-American and a proud member of Vang Lutheran Church in Dennison, MN. He is also a member of Kenyon Holden Warsaw Mutual Fire Insurance Company, the finest township mutual insurance company in the state of Minnesota.

Mark Liebow: Can the GOP govern, or just say no?

Mark Liebow, an Olmsted County DFL activist, physician and spouse of state representative Tina Liebling, had excellent column published in the Rochester Post Bulletin on November 18. Bluestem thanks Liebow and Jay Furst of the Post Bulletin for permission to repost the commentary.

by Mark Liebow

Fewer voters vote in "off-year" elections than in years when we elect a president. In Olmsted County 66.6 percent of registered voters voted this year, down 22.9 percent from the 89.5 percent who voted in 2008.

In 2006, 69.3 percent voted in this county, down 25.3 percent from the 94.6 percent who voted in 2004. However, in 2006 a DFL state representative and senator were elected to seats that hadn't had elected DFL officials in a generation. This year that senator lost her seat and a three-term DFL state representative lost his seat. What made the difference?

Has there been a shift to the Republicans in this area? No.The difference is due to changes in who didn't show up in the "off-year" elections. A lot more DFLers didn't show up this time and two incumbents lost.

The results in state representative races for the four seats that include Olmsted County in 2004 and 2006 show there was a dropoff in DFL and Republican totals for all races. In each race, there was a bigger dropoff in the Republican vote than in the DFL vote. This varied from a dropoff of three Republican votes for every two DFL votes to a DFL dropoff almost as big as the Republican dropoff.

The results for those state representative races in 2008 and 2010 again show a dropoff in DFL and Republican totals for all races. However, in each race, there was a bigger dropoff in DFL votes than in Republican votes.

In the open seat race, the dropoff was three DFL votes for two Republican votes. In the others, the dropoff was four DFL votes for every Republican vote. A lot more 2008 DFL voters didn't vote than did 2008 Republican voters. This was also true for the congressional race. Randy Demmer had fewer votes than Brian Davis had, but Tim Walz had far fewer than in 2008. 95.8 percent of the vote dropoff in the congressional race was in the Walz vote.

That dropoff was enough to beat Andy Welti. He won by 2,715 votes last time, his largest victory, but the difference in DFL dropoff and Republican dropoff this year was 3,603, so he lost by almost 900 votes.

While there were no Minnesota Senate races in 2004 or 2008, we can model the 2004-06 and the 2008-10 dropoffs in Senate District 30 by using the sum of votes for the candidates for state representative in the 30A and 30B House districts in 2004 and 2008 as an estimate for what a state Senate candidate would have gotten in an election. Doing this confirms that in 2004-06 the Republican "dropoff" was greater than that for the DFL candidate but 94.4 percent of the "dropoff" for 2008-10 was in the DFL vote, more than enough to cost Ann Lynch her seat.

There is no evidence of a systematic shift in party preference in Olmsted County. Tina Liebling and Kim Norton had bigger margins over their opponents in 2010 than in 2006. While Mark Dayton got 1 percent fewer votes than Mike Hatch did, Tom Emmer got 9 percent fewer than Tim Pawlenty. Mark Ritchie got 0.3 percent more votes compared to 2006, while his opponent got 1.1 percent more. Tim Walz carried Olmsted County for the third consecutive time.

Looking at election returns can't tell us why many people who voted DFL in 2008 stayed home this year. We can't know from this if many people who voted DFL in 2008 voted Republican this year, but no such changes are needed to explain the results.

Why did DFLers stay home? Many columns have and will be written on that, but I think that attacks paid for by corporate money from outside the county helped energize Republicans and depress DFL turnout. Certainly, the weak economy didn't help. However, don't mistake the legislative results for support for Republican policies. All DFL constitutional officers were re-elected and Mark Dayton leads the governor's race. In the Minnesota House, fewer than 1,000 DFL votes in the right places would have kept the DFL in control.

What does this mean for 2012?

It's a presidential year and Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota's most popular senator in a generation, will be running for re-election. This is likely to increase DFL turnout substantially. Republican turnout is unlikely to increase much based on the last decade's election results.

Every seat in the Minnesota House and Senate is up for election because of redistricting that will be done next year. Republicans, who will have majorities in the Minnesota House and Senate for the first time in 40 years, will have to show they can govern, not just oppose. The seats Republicans won may be vulnerable then.

Mark Liebow is a Rochester medical doctor who is a director of the Olmsted County DFL Party.

On the ground in Southern Minnesota: Mankato DFL field office rocks the region

I've been observing in one of three DFL volunteer launch centers in Mankato, and the place feels like the old office on Riverfront Avenue in 2006. Some of the details are the same, including former state Representative Ruth Johnson's red boots.

She swears they're a different pair, having worn out the old pair during the 2008 election.

Reports from across the district are good. From the boiler room at a local hotel, word leaks out that "we are hitting or surpassing all our goals for phones and doors."

A source in the Twin Cities DFL apparatus tells me that "CD1 is rocking." It feels that way.

A delivery person arrives with a pizza ordered for the office by State Representative Paul Thissen, who has been a fxutre in rural Minnesota DFL doorknocks.

The phones are buzzing and doorknocking crews come back in from the field, while others go out. The office is on second and third passes through neighborhoods.

Will all this activity keep Tim Walz in office, while helpin elect a DFL governor? We'll know when the polls close.

Was Randy Demmer a good value in the heartland for Beltway and big business interests?

We'll learn tomorrow whether the influx of secret corporate and political cash made Randy Demmer a "Heartland Value" for such groups as the  American Action Network, Dick Morris's SuperPAC, Republican National Congressional Committee and other groups that ran negative ads in the First.  Even each of Demmer's own ads were negative attacks on Walz.

In the end, the Demmer campaign and its "independent" allies may have shown their "values" quite clearly through such ads, rather than making a positive case for the Hayfield Republican. Even the Kasson kick-off for the "Heartland Values" tour was remarkable for its negative rhetoric. No wonder only one newspaper that I know of endorsed Demmer--while the vast majority of papers that endorsed, from Winona to Worthington, urged voters to return Walz for a third term.

What I'll remember are the dollar values Beltway Republicans put on the seat. My friend Tild illustrates them in the artist's rendition of the suitcase Randy's allies packed for his tour of the district (above)--dollar figures are somewhat dated, drawn as they from this October 25 Star Tribune Hotdish Politics post. Voters should send him packing back to Dodge County.

Walz closed his campaign on a positive note--and polls showed him surging ahead in the final days of the race. Here's the final ad--now readers in the First need to go out and vote tomorrow.

 

Parkinson's disease vet fights back for Walz in Mankato Free Press

One of the more pathetic attacks against Congressman Walz is that he doesn't care about veterans, despite his own service in the National Guard, his widely-recognized work on the House veterans committee, and the dozens of public meetings he's held with vets since taking office in 2007.

Perhaps the most egregious of these attacks was an LTE in the Mankato Free Press on October 15.

A reader faulted Walz for working on getting Agent Orange being recognized as a cause of Parkinsons Disease among Vietnam vets. The writer felt that only county veterans' service offices should address vets' needs:

The Mankato Veterans Services office is open eight hours each day, Monday to Friday.Veterans, this is where you should go for assistance, not, in my opinion, to Walz’s office.

Take that, vets! In a letter published Saturday, Michael Trok, the veteran featured in the ad fired back:

Several days ago, Elwin Gunnick wrote a letter to the editor criticizing Rep. Tim Walz for an ad that features my personal story.

I have never met Gunnick, but I want to tell him why I am supporting Walz and  encouraging my fellow veterans and neighbors to support him as well.

I suffer from Parkinson’s Disease due to my exposure to Agent Orange while in Vietnam. When I tried to get the Veterans Administration to help me with the cost of medical care, I was denied because, at the time, the VA did not recognize Agent Orange as being a contributing  factor to the development of Parkinson’s. After reviewing the literature on the relationship between Parkinson’s and Agent Orange I found that the VA’s position just was not right.

It was frustrating at first because no one appeared to be listening or caring. Then I met Walz and things started to change; he listened  to us, he read the research and he, then, fought for us.

Through his work on the VA Committee, we started to turn the corner and last year, the VA announced that it would assume that if a person served in Vietnam and had Parkinson’s Disease, Agent Orange was responsible.

In an age when many politicians talk the talk about veterans, but not stand behind them, I understand  Gunnick’s skepticism. But, Walz is not a politician like the others.

He walks the walk and  follows through. He is doing the right thing and we need him back in  Congress.

Michael Trok

Wabasha

Trok knows his stuff. The struggle of Agent Orange veterans to get their syndrome recognized was a long one, and I was shocked when I first learned that Parkinson's in Vietnam Vets was not yet considered as a result of Agent Orange exposure, since there are many farmers who develop the disease as a result of working with farm chemicals. The connection is no secret.

Moreover, veterans are often advised to enlist their U.S. representatives and senators and their staff to resolve issues between their individual cases  and the federal bureaucracy. In fact, the Parkinson's issue was first brought to my attention by a friend (and veteran) who at the time worked on vets' issues as a member of Walz's congressional staff.

That Walz followed through and kept dogging the VA about this speaks to his dedication to veterans. Moreover, many county veteran service officers apparently share a high regard for Walz. This year, Walz received the Legislator of the Year Award from the National Association of County Veterans Service Officers (NACVSO)

Perhaps Walz's Republican critics believe the county veteran service officers association is also exploited by having the ear of a United States Representative who listens to their needs and works for the veterans they serve. Funny, but I highly doubt Randy Demmer himself would suggest that a Demmer office wouldn't help vets with case work. That's too bass ackwards even for a Hayfield Republican.

For myself, I wish all 535 members of Congress walked the walk for vets like Tim Walz does (sadly, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America only grade 19 members at A+ along with Walz). I count among my friends some very fine young people serving in the Army, Guard, Marines and Navy--and there should be champions for them when they leave the military. Nearly all of the newspapers in the First that endorsed agreed, and singled out Walz's work for veterans as a strong reason to re-elect him to a third term.

Perhaps those who don't take newspaper endorsements to heart will heed Trok's words. We all should.

On the GOTV trail: Rochester mayor endorses Walz at rally

I'll be posting a round-up late tonight about GOTV efforts in Greater Minnesota, but one incident on the campaign trail is striking. The Rochester Post Bulletin reports in Rochester mayor jumps into partisan politics:

Rochester Mayor Ardell Brede kicked-off this morning's get-out-the-vote rally at the Olmsted County DFL Headquarters.

"As many of you know, I over the years as a nonpartisan elected officials have tried to at least publicly be private with my support (of candidates)," he told the crowd of more than 100 DFL volunteers.

But that changed this morning. Brede said he believes this is an important time and he is backing all the area DFL state lawmakers in addition to 1st District Rep. Tim Walz and gubernatorial candidate Mark Dayton. He said Walz's staff calls or e-mail him every week to check what is going on and that the congressman has supported veterans and Rochester's position on rail issues.

"This is somebody we need to have back there," he said.

There's more at the PB's blog, including Brede's support for Mark Dayton for governor. Go read the whole thing.

What a positive contrast with that expressed by a Randy Demmer supportors in the video footage below that the DFL captured during the kick-off for Randy Demmer's "Heartland Values" tour. If these are the sentiments that the Demmer campaign has shared with editorial boards, it's no wonder that Congressman Walz has received the lion's share of newspaper endorsements.

The notion that Walz "corrupted young minds" as a teacher also illustrates the poverty of ideas plaguing the Demmer campaign.

I know a lot of young people who were Walz's students at Mankato West or who trained with him as their First Sergeant in the National Guard. If inspiring young people to learn, to love and serve their country is corruption, I think I'll have little to do with the "Heartland Values" Randy Demmer's supporters espouse.

As the DFL post noted:

Representative Walz was given the Minnesota Ethics in Education award in 2002, the 2003 Mankato Teacher of the Year award, and the 2003 Teacher of Excellence award.

Worthington Globe: "Walz will continue to work for all of us"

Earlier this month,Albert Lea Tribune, the Rochester Post Bulletin, the Minneapolis Star Tribune and the Winona Daily News endorsed Congressman Walz for a third term; challenger Randy Demmer has been endorsed by the New Ulm Journal.

Now the Worthington Globe, a paper in the right-leaning Forum chain, joins the majority consensus: Walz works hard for the district and deserves a third term. The editorial specifically addresses the negative and distorting television ads targeting Walz--and mentions the fact that Demmer hadn't bothered to read the health care reform bill:

As Democrat Tim Walz seeks election to his third term as Minnesota’s 1st District representative in the U.S. House of Representatives, he’s seen a formidable challenge from Republican Randy Demmer.

Perhaps what’s most notable about this race is the flurry of negative advertisements that have emerged. Walz, in particular, has been the subject of misrepresentations and mistruths from any number of outside special interest groups. Also worth pointing out is the fact that Demmer, a state representative from Hayfield, is a tenacious candidate and campaigner who has been effective in communicating his political philosophy.

Demmer’s philosophy, of course, emphasizes a less-intrusive government and other typically conservative principals. But Walz, we believe, brings a lot more to Washington than mere party politics.

Walz’s critics like to accuse him of working for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi instead of southwest Minnesota, but this assertion omits plenty.

Here’s one example: Walz did indeed vote for President Barack Obama’s health care reform package but did so after doing plenty of homework on it, including working with the Mayo Clinic, participating in forums across the region and doing his share of research. (Demmer, meanwhile, admitted in a Rochester debate earlier this month that he hadn’t even read the health care bill). [Emphasis added]. Another example: Walz went against party leadership on the vote for bailing out Wall Street.

Walz has plenty of other ideas — for instance, he told the Daily Globe Thursday he wants to work to “create new economies in alternative energies, and make sure there are policies out there that allow the private sector to do that.” That’s just one way we see Walz working as a bipartisan representative of multiple interests, not as an single-party line-toer.

Walz will continue to work for all of us if returned to Washington, and we endorse him for re-election.

Minnesota press goes back to the future in touting Quie endorsement of Demmer

Given the attention given former governor Al Quie's endorsement of Randy Demmer in Minnesota's First yesterday and today, you'd think that the announcement met the standard definition of newsworthiness: timeliness, impact, prominence, promiixity, conflict, the unusual, currency.

While some wits may wish to argue that a past Republican governor endorsing a Republican running for office this year meets the criterion of "the unusual," Bluestem will decline.

In fact, Al Quie's endorsement of Demmer was once actually news--back in April, when the media dutifully reported it on the eve of the First District Republican endorsing convention in Mankato. At the time, there was even "conflict" involved, since Dememr and Allan Quist were involved in a heated battle for the hearts--dare i say minds?--of the delegates.

The Post Bulletin reported on April 15 that Quie endorses Demmer:

Randy Demmer's congressional campaign got a big boost on Thursday with news that former Minnesota Gov. Al Quie was endorsing him. The announcement comes two days before the First District Republican Convention where the GOP is expected to endorse a candidate to take on Democratic Congressman Tim Walz in November.

The Star Tribune noted theQuie endorsement of Demmer on April 17 in  Walz's would-be foes face off in First District:

Demmer, 53, of Hayfield, touts support from Al Quie, a former Republican Minnesota governor and congressman from the First District. Quie wrote that Demmer, in his fourth term in the Minnesota House, "has the perspective and dedication to achieve real results."

And the Demmer campaign itself released a letter from Quie touting Randy on April 15. The letter can be found here on the Demmer campaign site.

Wikipedia notes that Quie once represented the First in Congress from February 18, 1958, to January 3, 1979. However, the district then was considerably more conservative. Following Quie's departure from federal office, Arlen Erdahl had the seat--but following redistricting in 1980, Tim Penny ended up beating Tom Hagedorn in 1982.  How many people still living in the First were served by Quie, who left Congress before I graduated from high school?

And yet this second announcement of Quie's support for Demmer--an announcement made on the eve of the Republican endorsement in April--is trotted out by the Demmer campaign on the eve of the general election--and the press corps dutifully reports it as "news" once more. Did a single reporter JFGI?

Image: Another inspiration for the Young Guns program?

Winona Daily News endorses Tim Walz

Following endorsements by the Albert Lea Tribune, the Rochester Post Bulletin and the Minneapolis Star Tribune--and a SUSA poll  released yesterday that has him up by 9 points--the Winona Daily News endorses Tim Walz. The paper noticed that all of Randy Demmer's ads have been attacks:

Randy Demmer has a lot to say about Tim Walz.

That's unfortunate for the voters of Minnesota's 1st Congressional District for two reasons.

First, Demmer doesn't leave much time on his attack ads to say much about what he believes, and he forgets key details.

For example, Rep. Walz got the National Rifle Association's endorsement. Or that Walz bucked Democratic leadership when it came to Wall Street bailouts. Or that before voting for the massive health care bill he sought - and received - the blessing of Mayo Clinic, Winona Health and Gundersen Lutheran before casting a vote.

Walz is what so many voters and citizens seem to want - a moderate centrist who is willing to find compromise and tell the unvarnished truth, not borrow some partisan talking point.

Walz had to cast some tough votes in the past two years with more undoubtedly to come. He's been good for Minnesota and can be counted on to vote his conviction more than his party.

In other races, the paper picked Mark Dayton for Governor, split its choices between parties for state senate candidates (Republican John Howe in  SD 28 and DFLer Sharon Ropes in SD 31) and state house (DFLers Mark Schneider in 28B and Gene Pelowski in 31A;  Republican Greg Davids in 31B).

While I'm disappointed they didn't pick Steve Kemp in the latter state house race, it is gratifying to see Steve Drazkowski called out on his hot air and demagoging ways:

Two years ago, the Daily News endorsed Steve Drazkowski for House Seat 28B.

We said while we agree with few things that come out of his mouth, his actions, especially in light of his work with the 2007 flood recovery, told a much different story.

Two years later, Drazkowski has proven to be mostly talk and a lot less action.

In fact, after a devastating fire hurt St. Charles, Drazkowski voted against a bill that would have given $50,000 in recovery money to the city.

He endorsed a bill that would have Minnesota ignore federal legislation, even though the mere thought had Constitutional scholars chuckling at its absurdity.

Then there was Drazkowski's adoption of the Arizona immigration bill.

It's not that he's radical.

It's that he wastes time on wedge issues, like gay marriage bills, and has seemed to forget about the nuts and bolts of government.

Walz fights to end insider trading exemption for Congress

While Randy Demmer uses state government as his personal people's bailout, Walz fights to end using Congress as an avenue for personal insider trading. A press release just in from the congressional office:

Walz Champions End to Insider Trading Exemption for Congress

 STOCK Act would stop insider trading and expand financial disclosure requirements

 (Mankato, MN) - A recent report by the Wall Street Journal revealed 72 instances of potential insider trading among Congressional aides on both sides of the aisle. Congressman Walz, who is an original co-sponsor of the Stop Trading On Congressional Knowledge Act or STOCK Act notes that insider trading is illegal on Wall Street and in private business, but current regulations do not prevent Congressional Representatives or their staff members from leveraging the privileged information access they enjoy for personal gain.

“This is a matter of equality under the law,” said Congressman Walz, “The same standards we have established for Wall Street should apply to Congress. The potential for abuse is obvious and troubling and there is simply no good reason Congress should get to play by a separate set of rules in the stock market.”

 HR 682, the STOCK Act would expand reporting requirements for Congressional staff related to securities and commodities trading, educate members of Congress and their staff about proper financial conduct, and prohibit Congress or their staff from engaging in insider trading activity.

 Walz and the bill’s lead author Rep. Baird jointly authored a letter to Speaker Pelosi back in June urging her to pursue this common sense reform and fulfill her stated commitment to push for responsibility in Congress. 

 “I am committed to increasing transparency and accountability in government” said Walz. “It seems obvious that we should not continue to allow this extraordinary exemption for members of Congress. Although this bill is not popular with my colleagues, I will continue to advocate for its passage because it is the right thing to do.”

The Stop Trading On Congressional Knowledge Act is co-sponsored by 9 Members of the House of Representatives.

Image: Randy Demmer as the Whammy, a photoshopped image which, like his campaign committee's $135,000 debt, comes from the 2007-2008 election cycle.

Minneapolis Star Tribune endorses Tim Walz for a third term

Like the Albert Lea Tribune and the Rochester Post Bulletin before it, the Star Tribune has endorsed Tim Walz for a third term. (The New Ulm Journal has endorsed Randy Demmer and it's likely the Fairmont Sentinel will do the same).

From the editorial, Walz has earned a third term: Incumbent has ably served veterans and his district:

During his first two terms in Congress, Democratic Rep. Tim Walz has been a stellar advocate for veterans, responsive to his region's key employers and consistently earned high marks from local officials for his assistance on matters small and large, particularly the weather-related disasters that have hit this district. He's more than earned the right to represent this swath of southern Minnesota for another two years.

The former Mankato teacher and coach faces two solid opponents this year in respected Republican state legislator Randy Demmer and Steve Wilson, a likable but unelectable Independence Party policy wonk. Independent Lars Johnson is also running. None, however, has made a strong case for voting out the hard-working Walz. Demmer, who is Walz's main challenger, has seemed out of his depth on critical foreign policy issues and offered up bromides rather than detailed solutions on a problem his campaign highlights: runaway federal spending.

Demmer has also gone after Walz for supporting health care reform. Walz, however, has been endorsed by Minnesota's former Republican Sen. David Durenberger for his work on that bill. Walz was a strong champion of measures sought by some of Minnesota's largest employers: its health care providers. These reforms will start to rein in costs and reward high-quality, low-cost providers -- like those in Minnesota -- instead of the providers that simply do the most procedures. Tellingly, Mayo Clinic employees are leading financial supporters of Walz's campaign. . . .

Value in Electing Women Political Action Committee contributes to Demmer campaign

Browsing through Randy Demmer's 48-hour reports filed at the FEC, I noticed that the Hayfield Republican had received a $1000 contribution from the Value in Electing Women Political Action Committee.

According to its web site:

Value In Electing Women Political Action Committee was created for the singular purpose of electing qualified Republican women to federal office.  Whether it be to endangered incumbents or viable challengers, our aim is to strategically contribute hard dollars where they're needed most.

A non-connected committee registered with the Federal Election Commission, VIEW PAC has contributed over $400,000 to Republican women candidates since our inception in 1998.  The Board of VIEW PAC is pleased that former Congresswoman Deborah Pryce has agreed to serve as Honorary Chairwoman to our volunteer organization.

2010 is shaping up to be a banner year for the GOP and an even better one for our female candidates.  We invite you to join us as we re-double our efforts to return a Republican majority to the House and Senate by electing more qualified women.

Has VIEWPAC set aside its "singular purpose"? Or has the PAC been hoodwinked by those gender-benders who follow the lead of Demmer campaign chair Vin Weber? Certainly, all candidates supported in the past were Republican women.

Photo: Demmer campaign chair Vin Weber.

Press release; Former Governor Arne Carlson endorses Tim Walz for third term

I'm uploading video footage from this afternoon's rally now and will post Youtubes as soon as they are processed. In the meantime, here's the press release from the Walz campaign:

At a rally today in Rochester, former Minnesota Governor Arne Carlson (R) endorsed Tim Walz for re-election.  Joining Walz and Carlson at the rally was former Vice President and fellow Minnesotan, Walter Mondale.

 “In this election, Tim Walz is the clear choice,” said Carlson. “I’m continually impressed with Tim’s leadership and his ability to bring people together in southern Minnesota communities.  It is clear that people identify with Tim’s experience as a teacher, veteran and football coach and I think that helps them lay aside partisan predispositions and join with Tim to solve problems.”

 “Time and again, Tim stood up for southern Minnesota and did the right thing,” said former Vice President Walter Mondale.  “Tim’s willingness to cut his office budget, increase transparency in government, and fight for tougher ethics rules for Congress are clear evidence of his integrity and leadership style.  Tim is the kind of person who can turn this country around.”

 Walz, a twenty-four year veteran of the Army National Guard and public school teacher said he was “humbled to have the backing of these two giants of Minnesota political history.”

 Walz went on to say, “Governor Carlson and Vice President Mondale’s legacies loom large over those of us seeking election in Minnesota. I’m honored to receive their endorsement and I count on their counsel and advice now and in the future as I work to create jobs, increase transparency in government, and bring people together around solutions to our most challenging problems.”

“Over the next two years it is absolutely imperative that the President and Congress bring the budget into balance. It must be done on a bipartisan basis with leaders who have the ability to rise above short term pressures and put our long term interests first. This is not about political parties. Tim Walz is one of the most outstanding leaders that Minnesota has and we need his abilities in Washington,” said Carlson.

 

Rochester Post Bulletin endorses Tim Walz for Congress

Go read the whole thing, as it's a thoughtful piece. Here's what the district's largest circulation paper said in endorsing Representative Tim Walz for a third term in Congress:

But ultimately, we believe Tim Walz has done more than enough to earn a third term in the U.S. House of Representatives, and we endorse him to represent Minnesota's 1st Congressional District.

We admire the way Walz has gone about his business, both in Washington and here at home. Some candidates change their persona and image, depending on where they are and whether the cameras are running. Walz isn't such a candidate. His average-Joe attire isn't for show; rather, it's what one might expect of a former teacher, football coach and 24-year National Guardsman who earned the rank of command sergeant major.

Yes, he talks fast, and he talks a lot. But that's a forgivable flaw, provided that one has a lot to say and that there are actions to back up those words. Walz has relentless energy, and he brings a soldier's work ethic to the House. In addition to his well-documented efforts to support veterans, he played a key role in creating more transparency in the House appropriations process, and spent countless hours working with Mayo Clinic in the years-long process of crafting health care reform legislation.

And for us, this race may hinge on health care. Walz stands firmly behind a system that will prevent insurance companies from refusing to enroll people who have pre-existing medical conditions. He will fight to protect the rights of children to stay on their parents' insurance until age 25, thus plugging a gap that is all-too-familiar for many recent college graduates who haven't yet found a benefit-paying job.

We also like the fact that Walz isn't a headline-hound who puts publicity ahead of policy. "I think you do your job, you stay in your lane, you honestly debate," he said.He has no time for politicians who put their own self-interests above their constituents' needs. "I have a colleague in the 6th District that I watch, who spends most of the time on national television," he said. "I don't know how I would come back here in Minnesota and tell the people that I missed more than 200 votes while I was simultaneously on television talking about a partisan issue. I would be fired immediately, and rightfully so."

These are serious times, andonly by electing serious people wholook forward, rather than trying to undo the recent past,willAmerica emerge from its current crisis. Tim Walz has helped lay the groundwork for a brighter future in Minnesota and America, and we believe he can help break the "I'm right, you're wrong" gridlock in Washington.

MN-01 pre-general reports: Walz has $565,770.29 COH; late Demmer filing reveals $78,111.25 in bank

New filings at the FEc suggest that the Demmer campaign is indeed depending on independent expenditures to bail it out.

Here's the summary of Demmer's report, which was filed late:

5. Covering Period 10/01/2010 Through 10/13/2010

	Column A This Period	Column B Election Cycle-To-Date
6. Net Contributions (other than loans)
(a) Total Contributions (other than loans)	69858.00	677480.18
(b) Total Contribution Refunds	5000.00	5100.00
(c) Net Contributions (6(a) - 6(b))	64858.00	672380.18
7. Net Operating Expenditures
(a) Total Operating Expenditures	218439.45	594410.18
(b) Total Offsets to Operating Expenditures	0.00	33.00
(c) Net Operating Expenditures	218439.45	594377.18
8. Cash on Hand at Close of Reporting Period	78111.25
9. Debts and Obligations Owed TO the Committee	0.00
Itemize all on SCHEDULE C or SCHEDULE D
10. Debts and Obligations Owed BY the Committee	135150.00
Itemize all on SCHEDULE C or SCHEDULE D

Demmer had less than $80,000 cash on hand, while retaining the $135,000 debt from his 2008 campaign.

Here's the same required filing from the Walz campaign:

5. Covering Period 10/01/2010 Through 10/13/2010

	Column A This Period	Column B Election Cycle-To-Date
6. Net Contributions (other than loans)
(a) Total Contributions (other than loans)	100483.02	1880875.04
(b) Total Contribution Refunds	0.00	1115.00
(c) Net Contributions (6(a) - 6(b))	100483.02	1879760.04
7. Net Operating Expenditures
(a) Total Operating Expenditures	348941.11	1412186.17
(b) Total Offsets to Operating Expenditures	22.16	25629.30
(c) Net Operating Expenditures	348918.95	1386556.87
8. Cash on Hand at Close of Reporting Period	565770.29
9. Debts and Obligations Owed TO the Committee	0.00
Itemize all on SCHEDULE C or SCHEDULE D
10. Debts and Obligations Owed BY the Committee	0.00
Itemize all on SCHEDULE C or SCHEDULE D

I'l update this post in a bit with the totals from both candidates' 48-hour notices.

The "D-Trip" jumps into MN01; Morning Take posts polling memo with Walz up by 16

Minnpost, the Minnesota Independent and other news outlets report that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (nicknamed "The D-Trip") has started running an anti-Demmer ad, assailing his support for partially privatizing Social Security:

And Tunheim Partners' Morning Take has posted a polling memo by Grove insight to Project New West showing Walz up by 16.

Randy Demmer: a case study of how he rolls for contributors?

A reader--who is an educator not employed by  any campaign, party or political committee--called my attention to the following timeline. In a year in which money is playing a huge role in campaigns, it's instructive to observe how Randy Demmer has--on a minor state level--sought to change state rules for the sake of a large contributor.

July 12, 2007: Dan Welsh of Claremont, the owner of Welsh Equipment, gives Demmer for Congress $2000. Welsh had given "large contributions" to the NRCC in 2003, 2004, and  2005, but never to a congressional candidate. He also gave to the MNGOP, and to Randy Demmer's state house campaign in 2006 and 2008 (searchable here).

June 24, 2008: The Dodge County Commissioners spend their entire meeting discussing Dan Welsh's desire for a highway sign for his business; Representative Demmer takes part, explaining his work with MnDOT.  

The upshot is "It was the consensus of the Board that the Planning Director should work with Dan Welsh and the state to install advanced notice street signs for 670th Street."  Representative Demmer supported this option as something that could be done quickly.  "The Planning Director stated that Dan Welsh was informed of this option and did not like it. "   http://www.co.dodge.mn.us/documents/06-24-08CoW.pdf

February 12, 2009: Representative Demmer introduces HF700, a bill providing for "JOBZ businesses allowed specific service signs." https://www.revisor.mn.gov/revisor/pages/search_status/status_detail.php?b=House&f=HF0700&ssn=0&y=2009

March 25, 2009: The State House's Transportation and Transit Policy and Oversight Division holds a meeting of which the first twenty some minutes are spent on HF700.  Representative Demmer indicates that although the bill would allow all rural JOBZ businesses to have the blue specific service signs that are ordinarily used for gas stations, restaurants, etc., the actual motivation for the bill was this one particular business, whose story he retells.  He indicates that the reason to prefer the specific service sign over the advance notice street sign is because the latter would be larger and would need to be paid for by the state  (contrast with the above indication that "Dan Welsh ... did not like it").  

Cassandra Isackson, the MnDOT Assistant State Traffic Engineer, testifies.  Beyond making clear that the advanced notice street sign is the appropriate signage, she indicates that Representative Demmer was incorrect about who would pay for the sign; the advanced notice street sign would be paid for by the local road authority rather than the state, and the local authority would ordinarily pass the cost along to the business.  The committee lays the bill over (which is to say, chooses not to act on it).  http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/comm/minutes1LS86.asp?comm=86125&id=1929

That's what a reader sent in. It's interesting to listen to the taped hearing, where Terry Morrow points out that MDOT regulations  about service signs are an issue for many rural businesses, not just those that are in JOBZ programs. Under current rules, JOBZ signage announces that a community participates in JOBZ, rather than providing signage for a private firm using the program, to the exclusion of other businesses.

While the example is suggestive, there's no smoking gun here. However, the gray areas it touches on stand in stark relief to Congressman Walz's stances on earmarks and other federal fundings programs. Walz has proposed rules that would bar private, for-profit companies from receiving earmarks, and has limited his requests to projects by government agencies, like the National Guard, and private, non-profits.